Mauricio Robles lifts Whitecaps to another win

Next game: West Michigan (Brandon Hamilton) at Great Lakes (TBA), 6 p.m. Monday

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COMSTOCK PARK -- If Mauricio Robles is still with the West Michigan Whitecaps in two months, he will accept it.

Despite success with the Whitecaps a year ago, Robles, who defeated South Bend 5-0 Saturday at Fifth Third Ballpark, again found himself assigned to the club this spring.

In 2008, Robles went 5-3 with a 2.96 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .176 batting average.

"I feel pretty good here," he said after scattering just two hits in five shutout innings as the Whitecaps won their third straight game to open the season. "I've just got to go out and do my job and help my team. I don't care where I am, I'm just going to play hard and do my work."

It's at least somewhat of a surprise that Robles was assigned to West Michigan and not high-A Lakeland of the Florida State League. Robles brings a career 2.96 ERA over three seasons and 51 games into his second stint with the Whitecaps. He fanned 79 batters in 91 innings with the Whitecaps.

In fact, Robles set a West Michigan record with 45.1 consecutive shutout innings at Fifth Third Ballpark last season. The streak was the longest in minor league baseball since 2004.

Against South Bend, Robles fanned the first three hitters, six of the first eight and finished with eight strikeouts. Robles gave up only a third-inning single and a two-out double in the fifth, his last inning before reliever Matt Hoffman pitched four scoreless innings. Robles had stretches of retiring eight and seven straight hitters.

Aside from just turning 20 years old on March 5 thus making him young for a possible assignment to the Florida State League, Robles was sent to West Michigan to work on his control, Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino said. Robles walked 54 batters in his 91 innings a year ago and entered the season with 97 walks in 176 career innings.

"We just want him down in the (strike) zone more," DePastino said of Robles, who walked only one Silver Hawk. "He had good numbers here last year, but he was 3-0, 3-1 on too many hitters. He's just a young kid and the Florida State League is a little different.

"We just want him feeling good about himself and then maybe he'll go."

The Whitecaps gave Robles all the support he needed with a three-run first inning that included an RBI single from Billy Nowlin, a ground out by Luis Salas that produced a run and a run-scoring double by Jordan Lennerton.

West Michigan added a pair of runs in the eighth inning, including an RBI double by Luis Palacios.

DePastino said the part of Robles' pitching line which pleased him the most was the lone walk.

"He got ahead of the hitters," DePastino said. "When you do that, the majority of the time you're going to get the job done."